Breaking Waves
by LordByakuran36
Summary: In a world on the brink of war, it takes special qualities to rise above.


So it's been awhile since I have written anything but I have changed and grown a lot as a writer since then and came up with some new ideas, some Naruto, some A Song of Ice and Fire and maybe some crossovers if I find the time. College is a killer huh?

Disclaimer: I own practically nothing in life, certainly not Naruto, but maybe I don't want to; that ending, am I right?

"Are you going to just sit there on this stupid beach, Naruto?" Karin asked her cousin on the ground.

One blue eye opened slightly and Naruto immediately closed it again after catching the sun's rays glinting of Karin's glasses. He noted that she was wearing the formal red and purple kimono that she wore before foreign diplomats, "Why not? I'm tired and no one cares anyways, right?"

"Your mother does." Karin heard Naruto physically swallow in fear. "She's looking for you. There are some ninja from Kirigakure here in Uzu and I imagine she is looking to show off the clan's prize jinchuriki and you know our clan head does not like to be kept waiting."

"From Kiri? They're real shinobi then?" Naruto could not hide the excitement from rolling into his voice.

Karin rolled her eyes as she adjusted her glasses. "Yes, _real shinobi_. Like your mother isn't one or any of the other Chunnin clansmen are not _real shinobi_." Her emphasis on the words 'real shinobi' was laden with a thick sarcasm.

Naruto and Karin had gone back and forth for years over the status of the lesser villages versus those with a ruling Kage. Given Uzushiogakure's unique position political position, stemming from the safety granted by the island's natural barriers as well as their tumultuous political standing with Konohagakure, made it a frequent argument between the two cousins.

"Yeah. I better get going. Kaa-chan gets pretty angry when I don't do what she says and it's generally much worse when politics are involved. Jinchuriki aren't popular and disobedient ones even less." Naruto's body rose from its place in the dirt, joints popping and cracking.

'Last thing I want is another beating from Kaa-chan,' he thought.

Naruto's hand started unconsciously rubbing his head recalling a large number of beatings and wounds he had received from his mother's temper over the years. Some more warranted than others, he would admit. Naruto was a terrible clan heir; his father had left him with the Kyuubi no Kitsune and a head of spiky blonde hair before dying, neither of which had been accepted by his clansmen. In turn, Naruto acted out. Pranks, misuse of explosive tags, petty theft, and all sorts of small acts of rebellion had been punished harshly by his mother's fury.

Naruto gave a quick, last look at the churning ocean that surrounds his home. It was said that the waves around Uzushiogakure were what had given the Uzumaki the independence and protection they enjoyed. They lived in a harsh world and it was even harsher for hidden villages without a true Kage.

Naruto noted Karin behind him as he ran through the village. She was never as fast as he was, nor as strong, but Karin was a sensor and rather gifted with seals. There was a lot of talk of Kushina taking her on to lead the clan, passing over Naruto himself. Not that he really cared, politics were dumb and Naruto's dream in this world was clear: be the strongest, stronger than all the fringe clans, stronger than the Kage, stronger than the legendary ninja who had come before, stronger than the Rikudo Sennin.

After waving to a nearby ramen shop whose delicious food he enjoyed from time to time, Karin spoke, "You should get changed. You are meeting foreign shinobi, important ones at that, you cannot walk in covered in sand and… is that blood?"

Naruto grinned. "I'm sure it's fine. The blood is mine, besides isn't Kiri all about blood and stuff like that? They might like it."

"That's exactly why you need to do less training and more studying. You are the child of a famous nuke-nin from Konoha and the current clan head of the Uzumaki clan! You should act like politics mean something to you!" Karin shouted.

"Who cares? No one wants me as clan head anyway, besides I'm good at fighting. Shouldn't we just do things we're good at? Why would I do something like reading a book about the ruling policies of the current Daimyo and Kage when I could punch a tree until my hands bleed? Only one of those things will actually stick with me. We both know I'm not great at reading and learning."

Naruto and Karin had been raised together under fairly strict rules. It was expected of the clan head's relatives to be thoroughly schooled in politics and combat in order to push the clan's dominance in the shinobi world as well as protect them if needed. Naruto had struggled with the schooling but took to combat training quickly. Most of his free time since was spent training as well as skipping his lessons for more training.

Kushina often remarked that her greatest mistake was teaching her son about ninjutsu.

Karin's glare intensified. Naruto relented. "Fine. I'll go grab those stupid itchy robes but if I sneeze in front of all these important people I'm telling Kaa-chan it's your fault because those stupid things are always so rough and scratchy."

Instead of walking in through the front door into the common area, where guests of the Uzumaki clan were received, he used his chakra to walk up the side of the building to his window on the second floor. The Uzushiogakure estate was reserved for the clan head and their family and loosely resembled a cross between mages Naruto had seen of both a local temple as well as a castle. It was spacious, like temples, with open glassless windows that let the bright light and cool ocean airs of their island through the estate, but its tower were clearly militaristic in design with lookouts and slats for a counterattack.

Naruto slid into his own formal kimono. It was blue with orange spirals circling near the feet. It was also a size or two too large as Kushina had bought it expecting a growth spurt from her twelve-year old son that had yet to happen.

Naruto smiled at the reflection in his mirror that shared his bright grin. His hair was caught up in the elaborate clip as his mother desired from him and it pulled some of the natural spikiness apart and did indeed look formal, not that it mattered much to him. He was excited to see actual shinobi from one of the five main hidden villages.

As he walked into the common area, Naruto heard voices he was unfamiliar with. "An alliance is in both of our interests, Kushina-dono. Tensions are brewing between the Daimyo of Hi no Kuni and Kaminari no Kuni again and, given Konoha's current position, I would imagine that the Sandaime Hokage is looking for his property, the Biju sealed into your son. I can offer him a protection that you cannot and my village will be able to train him to master the beast's power as I have. I recognize that Uzushiogakure has been an independent power, a point of pride, but as the geographically closest village to your islands this alliance may allow both our villages to survive this coming war."

"I understand, Mizukage-dono. Uzushiogakure is not without its spies and we are aware of the escalations between Konoha and Kumo. I would imagine that fool, Danzo, is still regretting electing Orochimaru his success over Minato after what that snake did to the Uchiha Clan." Kushina clicked her tongue against the top of her mouth, "While Konoha has been no friend to the Uzumaki, neither have those barbarians in Kumo. A is bull-headed and stubborn, more than that he's envious of the kekkei genkei Konoha and Kiri hold. He's looking to take down the Uchiha's legacy in Konoha and I agree, Kirigakure would be next."

The purple eyes of his mother drifted over to her son in the doorway and she grinned. "Here's my son now. No doubt he was training. The boy is taken with idea of becoming a truly powerful shinobi nd he neglects his lessons to do so."

Her three guests, he imagined the short one in hat was the Mizukage, turned to face him and, for the first time, Naruto saw their faces.

The Mizukage was small of stature and young of age but held a gravitas that one would expect from a Kage, Naruto thought it came from the scar that ran down the left side of his face. The man to his left was of average height with albino coloring and a simple kimono and two red dots on his forehead and the other to his right could be described as perfectly average excluding his hunter-nin garb and eye patch.

"So this is the Kyuubi jinchuriki?" spoke the man in the eye patch, "I would guess his looks take after his father then? He lacks your red hair or skin tone."

It was a comment Naruto was used to with foreign dignitaries. Uzumaki looked very similar but he did not fit his clan's classic look.

"Hello Naruto," spoke the Mizukage from under his hat, "my name is Yagura and I was hoping to meet you on my trip here. I plan on making an alliance with Uzushiogakure that would benefit both villages, economically and militarily."

Naruto walked up to the man and held out his hand. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Kushina glared at her son's behavior. "You know better than to treat foreign dignitaries with such disrespect, Naruto. Apologize."

"It's fine," Yagura said while shaking Naruto's hand. "I am quite used to formalities nowadays but it is not often I get such a casual greeting. Besides Naruto, we are equals in a sense. You and I are both jinchuriki."

Naruto's eyes squinted and his head cocked to the right. "You're a jinchuriki and a Kage? You must be pretty strong."

Yagura broke into a quiet chuckle. "Strength is relative. I may be strong but I am sure there are those who are stronger than I am or those who are cleverer and may get the better of me during combat. I believe strength does not lie in one's inherent power but in their ability to overcome and adapt."

"That's a beautiful sentiment, Mizukage-dono. Is that the basis for this alliance? You believe that the Uzumaki of Uzushiogakure share this flexibility and that this will allow of us to survive the coming wars?" Kushina asked.

"I do. Ever since Uchiha Madara was elected the Shodaime Hokage, the shinobi world has altered from a free market into an arms race. Kekkei Genkei, Biju, and the Hidden Village system have all pushed ninja from their clans into centralized villages to survive but the Uzumaki formed their own village. You eschewed Madara's wishes to join and became an independent power. You have lasted longer than the other clans who attempted something similar throughout three Shinobi World Wars and I respect that. I respect that strength enough to offer the power of my village so that this coming fourth war does not take us both under the waves, or worse the heel of the Uchiha dynasty that rules over Konoha."

Kushina nodded slowly before getting up from her large driftwood desk. "I believe it is getting late. We can continue these talks tomorrow, Mizukage-dono, but know that I like this idea. It must have not been easy to come here and ask for this and an alliance may be in both of our best interests."

Yagura nodded to Kushina before speaking to his attendants, "Kimimaro," the pale man in the kimono turned to follow his kage, "Ao."

After the Kiri shinobi had left, Kushina sighed and looked at Naruto with a sad smile. "Minato left you with a terrible burden, Naruto. He sealed the Kyuubi into and, in doing so, took property that belonged to Konoha. He told me that he believed that you would be able to use its power in a way that would help the world as opposed to the Uchiha Clan whose ambition in combination with the Kyuubi's might would lead to more wars. If Konoha and Kiri do come to blows, which I am informed will happen and soon, you won't be safe here and our clansmen would not be safe around you."

"Are the Uchiha and Konoha really that bad? I knew that the Shodaime Hokage, Uchiha Madara, was extrememly powerful and set the hidden village system up in the first place but are the ones who live in Konoha truly that dangerous that Tou-san sealed the Kyuubi in me to keep it away from them?"

Kushina's eyes drifted to the window and chewed the unlit pipe in her mouth. "There have been three Shinobi World Wars since the creation of the hidden village system and each of the Hokage from Madara to his brother, Izuna, to their successor, Danzo, and his choice for Yondaime, Orochimaru -before his betrayal- have started and more or less won each of the wars and expanded the power of Konoha and Hi no Kuni. They are beloved by their Daimyo and have more Kekkei Genkei users in one clan than other villages have all together. They are the preeminent power of the past hundred years or so. You would do well to recognize the strength of the Uchiha and their Konoha dogs."

Naruto and Kushina stood in silence for a while as her words seemed to settle between them.

"So you're giving me over to Kiri?" Naruto asked with a crack in his voice. He didn't know why it cracked and pretended it didn't happen.

"This war will over take the Five Shinobi Nations. Konoha and Kumo will clash at the behest of their Daimyo but it's a personal campaign. Konoha wants blood and Kumo wants Konoha's position at the top of the shinobi world. Sunagkaure is allied with Konoha is a farce at best but I imagine they will join in. Iwagakure is licking their wounds after the last war and Onoki is too clever to let Konoha go through a war without getting some of his own licks in." Kushina paused to make sure her son had not gotten lost throughout the conversation.

"Konohagakure will come to reclaim their property, the Kyuubi within you. Kirigakure is the only major village to not have a dog in this fight and that may deter Konoha from coming for your head. Do not say I am 'giving you up', as you put it. These political issues affect all of us, even here in Uzushiogakure, and as a jinchuriki they affect you most of all."

Naruto's eyes looked down before meeting the gaze of his mother once more, "I understand."

"Good." Kushina said before giving a small smile. "We will meet with the Mizukage once more tomorrow and then you will more than likely leave with them. I'm sorry that is has to be this way Naruto but recognize that as both your clan head and your mother I was not left with many options."

Breaking Waves

Yagura was an early riser and it seemed Uzumaki Kushina shared that trait with him. The tea her servant had prepared was warm and a flavor he was unfamiliar with but quickly becoming fond of. "What can you tell me about your son? If he is to be own of my shinobi, then I would like to know about his skills and talents so that I can grant him a suitable teacher and team."

"Naruto is brash and fairly arrogant, not in an entitled sense, but he has big dreams and to meet those dreams he sees himself as stronger than he is. For his age though, he is quite strong. More than likely Genin level but his skills fall somewhat outside the norm." Kushina took a quiet sip of her tea before continuing,

"His taijutsu is average to above average depending on your criteria. Naruto has great stamina and endurance, furthered by his connection to the Kyuubi and its regenerative powers. He knows several seals and is somewhat familiar with Fuuinjutsu. Genjutsu is non-existent for the boy, his reserves are high and he has not spent any time learning how to break them outside of making himself feel pain. As I previously stated, his reserves are massive for someone his age, even without the fox, but his knowledge of ninjutsu is limited as the Uzumaki do not have many ninjutsu scrolls."

Yagura nodded. "He is a ninjutsu specialist then? Most jinchuriki are as we are predisposed to higher chakra capacity. Speaking of which, how is his relationship with his Biju?"

"Naruto has meet the Kyuubi once or twice and, from what he has told me, it has not gone well. The beast is stubborn and hateful. I have tried to get him to use its chakra before but it generally ends up with him rampaging around our training fields before I have to seal it back within him."

Yagura grunted. That did not bode well for Kiri to have another unstable Jinchuriki. He had the Sanbi under control but Utakata did not and adding a third jinchuriki, who was also a political refugee, would be harder to spin to the Daimyo.

"No matter who you give Naruto as a teacher, I doubt it will matter much. That boy has followed his own drive more than he has my teachings. He does not learn in a conventional sense like most would teacher, but he's realized this and adapted his own way accordingly. He's like his father in that sense."

Ao and Kimimaro broke their period of standing at attention with Kushina's last statements. "His father huh?" Yagura echoed, mostly to himself. "The nuke-nin from Konoha and hero of the Third Shinobi War, Namikaze Minato."

Breaking Waves

Naruto awoke to the bright light of the sun piercing through a glassless window and his eyes. "Ugh." Yesterday's events rolled through his head, Kiri, Konoha, war, the coming months would not be easy for him.

'Kiri should be interesting though.' He thought idly, 'A major village means a lot more shinobi and a lot more with power than I have now.' His fist closed tightly. 'Tou-san left this fuzzy bastard with me for a reason and if he thought Konoha was really so dangerous that he left and took their Biju with them then I won't let him down. Just watch, Tou-san, I'll be strong enough to protect everything. Just like you wanted.'

Naruto cast his formal clothes to the side and grinned, "If I'm going to be a real shinobi then I won't need these stupid things." he muttered to himself. His hands slide under the bed and pulled out his shinobi gear, a gift from his mother for his eleventh birthday. They were made up of a grey mesh shirt with a heavy hooded orange and red jacket bearing the Uzumaki clan symbol on the back as well as a pair of black shorts and several rolls of tape for his hands and legs.

He rarely wore them as he hadn't been allowed on missions yet and they were too hot in the tropical island heat of Uzushiogakure but he had heard the damp air and fog of Kiri kept it rather cool from the sun's rays. "Now we're talking. I'm going to be a real shinobi."

Naruto often found himself looking at his father's belongings. His scratched Konohagakure forehead protector, his flak jacket, and his customized white coat that his mother had said was a gift form his teacher, a wandering sage named Jiraiya. The major villages fascinated him.

The major villages had long and storied histories that outpaced Uzushiogakure despite the Uzumaki Clan existing for years before them. Their shinobi were the makings of legends. When he was a boy, he was told the deeds of Uchiha Madara, the Shodaime Hokage, and his rival and a distant relative of Naruto's, Senju Hashirama. He learned about the Rikudo Sennin, his students and his children. He learned about the deeds of his father during the Third Shinobi World War.

Naruto wanted to be legend like them. No. He wanted to be more than them. Naruto wanted for children to be told stories of him and how he passed those who came before and that no one had passed him since. That Uzumaki Naruto's name was synonymous with the word 'Shinobi'.

"Kiri can help with that. Kaa-chan's training has been great but Uzumaki traditions and jutsu are pretty limited, but in a major village…" Naruto trailed off before grinning at no one in particular. "Well I guess this is where the legend of Uzumaki Naruto, the greatest shinobi to every live really begins!"

Author's notes: I rushed this out a little more than I had hoped. This week is pretty packed for me but I have a chapter planned for next week. It's clearly a pretty major AU piece starting out in Kiri and moving outwards. I've seen Konoha be the bad guy but in more of an evil village kind of story. I wanted to try and break that mold. I love getting back into fanficiton though, the reviews, the favs, the follows, I love all that shit to death. Anyways, feel free to hit me up!


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